Against The Odds
by Loonaticslover13
Summary: Sequel to One In A Million. "I'm trying to live a normal life. But how normal can it be when your boyfriend's a superhero, and villians want you dead. Yeah. Welcome to my life." AceXLexi TechXOC RevXOC. Holly Fox is in for a bumpy ride with Tech's cold cousin, tower shenanigans and her friend's wedding. One thing is for sure: if she survives the craziness, it'll be against the odds
1. Chapter One

Against The Odds

_Sequel to One In A Million. "I'm trying to live a normal life. But how normal can it be when your boyfriend's a superhero? Or that super freaks may target you because of it? Or that you're trying to become a professional artist, something that is extremely hard to do? Yeah. Welcome to my life." AceXLexi TechXOC RevXOC_

* * *

Usually, time flies during my favourite class, Social and Media Arts. But I just wanted it to be over. Why? Well, for one thing, who isn't anxious for the end of the school day? Secondly, today was my last day of official school. Besides graduation later on this month, anyway.

Luckily, it's almost the Christmas holidays. I only had two months of school to complete when I came back from living with the Loonatics. But once I'm done school, I'll move in with them. I had arranged it all with everyone, and my family was somewhat okay with it. Amazingly, it only took a few days for the Loonatics' HQ to be reconstructed, because of Tech's machine that can take an entire holographic blueprint of a building (and everything inside) and make it solid again. Pretty cool right?

There's only five minutes left of class, and I'm bored out of my mind. I decided to draw in my MyTab. I stuck out my tongue between my lips as I shaded in the girl's hair. Three minutes. I put my MyTab back in my bag after saving the drawing. Two minutes. Come on clock move faster! Sadly, staring at it won't make time go faster. One minute. Oh come on, how can sixty seconds be this slow. Twenty-five seconds. I drummed my fingers on my desk. Ten, nine, eight, I sigh. Come on! Three two-

one. The bell rang and I sprang up from my chair, my bookbag slung on my shoulder and I was the first one out of the door. It was a good thing too, because I could make a getaway for the exit without getting trampled by everyone else. Holly: One, school: 0. (Did I seriously just do that? Oh god.)

It was a cloudy day, with a bit of sunlight peeking in through somewhere. Snow covered everything, the trees, the fountain in the middle of the campus front, over the cars.

**"Well hello there."**

I groaned and turned around. Ever since the news had come out that I had won the contest and helped defeat this really evil guy named Arachnin who kidnapped my family (he's in jail now, don't worry) I had suddenly become popular. So now all these people that used to bully me in high school and suddenly trying to become my friend and it's really annoying, because they wouldn't spare a second glance at me if I wasn't famous. I just hope it dies down soon.

Brad, a dog anthro, was one of these people, smiling at me, with his stupid wavy blonde hair.

**"Hi," **I said dully. It's in my nature to be polite.

**"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me," **he flashed me a cocky smile. I rolled my eyes and then glared at him.

**"_No. _I have a boyfriend,"** I replied. I walked past him, bumping into his shoulder on purpose. It was common knowledge that Tech E. Coyote, the Loonatic, was my boyfriend. Involuntarily I smiled a little at the thought. In fact, we were coming on three months.

It was part of the reason I was so excited for school to finally be over. I had only been able to visit him and the other Loonatics on the weekends, but for the past two weeks they had been so busy working (and I with homework) and we never got to see each other. It's been horrible. Stupid work.

I crossed the parking lot, where I was practically ambushed by my best friend Mary Wishbone. She's a short gray mouse anthro with a little black nose, short and curly black hair, and big chocolate brown eyes. Her fiance, Darren, is a lucky guy. She's the best friend anyone could ask for.

**"My mum's been driving me crazy," **she explained. I nodded. Mary was the only child in her family, and could be over-motherly sometimes, so Mrs Wishbone must be talking about the wedding coming up. It would be in a few months, although Mary and her mother were still arguing about the wedding date (Mary wanted a winter one, Mrs Wishbone wanted a spring one).

**"She just wants what's best for you," **I said as we walked towards Mary's small, light blue punch-buggy car. We got in and Mary started the car. We pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the Loonatics HQ. Ever since I left for school this morning, Darren (he was here for the wedding obviously), Slam and Tech had been moving my bed and furniture into my old room in HQ.

**"She also wants be to wear a super frilly, lacey wedding dress," **Mary sighed. I made a grossed out face. Frill and lace? Poor girl.

**"Just tell her."**

**"And break her heart? No...not yet at least."**

We drove on, after I put the radio on, singing along (very badly, on my part at least. No really. I sound like something's dying,) to the songs. We rounded the bend of the street, and saw the Loonatics HQ. Home. We parked the car in a large garage. It was fairly empty, since most of the Loonatics' equipment was in the hangar in their main living space.

I let the scanner scan my face and it allowed us into the elevator. Originally, the only people who could get in like that was the Loonatics (and the occasional pizza guy) but since I visited often, I got added into the acceptance folder of the computer, along with Tech's cousin Natalya E. Wolf who also lived in there with them, although she often didn't accompany them on missions.

I don't know too much about her. She's really driven and serious, and is completely no-nonsense, although if you can crack her shell she can be a lot of fun sometimes. Or that's what Tech tells me. I haven't been able to crack the hardness yet. Her mom Angelina is best friends with my aunt Angelina (from my mom's side), and they live together along with my aunt's daughter Lacey (Aunt Angelina got divorced from Lacey's dad when she was really little; I don't know what happened to Natalya's dad though), who is best friends with Natalaya. Lacey might even visit for Christmas, although nothing's been confirmed yet.

The elevator shot up and took us to the main floor of the Loonatics, where Rev, Lexi, Natalya and Duck were waiting. Duck was watching TV (most likely soap operas), Lexi was reading, it looked like Natalya was doing something for work (she works for the government; Department of Highly Dangerous Weapons) and it seemed like Rev was talking to her.

**"-so-what'cha-working-on?" **he asked in his fast as ever speech. Natalya looked briefly annoyed, but she didn't glare at him.

**"Paperwork. Trying to figure out exactly what code should be used for the new power drainer so nobody except an elite group can use it," **she explained. Power drainer; I shivered slightly as Mary and I stepped into the room. Bad memories. Rev instantly noticed us, and zoomed over.

**"School's-over-yeah-finally-boy-Tech'll-be-glad-to-see-you-well-not-that-I'm-not-glad-to-see-you-but-"** He said as soon as he stopped hugging me. I chuckled softly.

**"I get it Rev," **I said happily. He could make anyone happier.

**"Holly's here?" **Duck said in a bored voice, glancing up from his TV show. **"Great. Good-bye peacefulness." **I simply smiled; I knew, actually, he was probably pretty happy to see me, but he prefers sarcasm to actually showing his has, like, a heart or anything.

Then Lexi hugged me, although she had managed to get away from work last week and we had hung out for a bit.

**"Hey Natalya," **I said brightly once the bunny had let go. She smiled a little in my direction. Natalya was a short, light gray wolf with a white-tipped tail. She was wearing a dark blue turtle-neck and black jeans. She had cold blue eyes. A little over two months ago, she saved my life twice from Arachnin, so even if we weren't really close, I still liked her. I'm determined to crack her outer shell and to get her to loosen up.

The doors to the elevator opened, and Tech walked out, looking at a diagram. **"Well, everything's set up, I'll be heading to the la-" **He looked up, and his face split into a grin. I hugged him tightly. I had missed him so much! His hand that seemed to perfectly fit with mine, smiling, laughing, kissing. Even when we let go, his arm was slung around my waist. **"How are you?" **

**"Great, now I'm here," **I replied, grinning. No matter what, Tech always managed to make me smile. The elevator opened again, and Ace and Slam walked out. I hugged Ace quickly, and then Slam gave me a bone crushing hug and ruffled my flaming red hair, making it even messier then usual.

It was great to be back. To come back _home. _

(0)

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm sitting on the couch in the main room in the middle of the night right? The answer: nightmares. Although HQ was safe, there had been a couple of instances (like Mastermind and Sypher breaking in,) and the fact I left to go to Arachnin. Spiders freaked me out even more now.

I couldn't stand to be in my room. It just felt so unsafe, like someone was going to come barging in any moment, that Arachnin was going to kidnap one of my loved ones again, or me. Somehow I felt safer in the main room, because no one could enter without me knowing.

However, I still couldn't fall asleep. I don't know how long I had been laying on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, when I heard footsteps. I sat up to see who it was; Tech. It looked like he had been getting something for his machine, and under different circumstances, I would've scolded him for pulling an all-nighter.

**"Holly, what's wrong?" **he asked. He set whatever he had been getting (it looked like a hammer) onto the table in front of the couch once he sat beside me.

**"Nightmares..." **I said quietly, trailing off as the images flashed through my mind again. Why couldn't they just go away? I just wanted to forget. He wrapped his arms around me and I naturally leaned in.

**"I won't let anything hurt you," **he promised.

A smile tugged at my lips. **"I know." **I instantly felt safer though. I yawned. **"You shouldn't be pulling all-nighters." **Back to normal circumstances.

He yawned too. **"I know, I was just finishing up a project. You should be getting to bed." **

**"You too," **I replied as I snuggled into him further. He lay down on the couch, an arm draped around me, with me cocooned between the couch, with my arm on his chest and my leg resting on one of his. My eyelids got heavy. I blinked a few times, before I finally drifted off to sleep, safe in his arms.**  
**

* * *

**The sequel is here! You're lucky, you only had to wait a few days! :) So, I guess this counts as the prologue, so that's my excuse as to why it's shorter then usual. The last bit was my favourite! :) **

**Also, in regards to Destiny's Path and Parenthood, both are currently on Hatius, (stupid writer's block and lack of inspiration D:) so I'll be focusing on this story and The Shadow Chronicles: Forgotten (please review it, the first chapter is EPIC!). I'll still be updating every Friday, promise, for this story, and for Forgotten probably every Sunday. Okay, that's it. Please review.**


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: I am so SO sorry. Seriously, if you guys all hate me now, i totally understand. It's been like three weeks. I'm an awful human being! But at least I'm updating now right...? Hehe. No? okay. I've just had a bout of writer's block, but I'm sure the next chapter after this will come easily, and I have a LOT of time off, so check for updates on this and TSC:F (the Shadow Chronicles: Forgotten) often! :D Already six reviews? Love you guys!**

**Balto#1:**** Well, I doubt a kissing scene will come any time soon (maybe five or four more chapters away, or maybe more, not really sure...). I figure Tech's already cracked it, since he's her cousin after all, and Lacey (who will probably make an appearance) would have too, but Holly and Rev'll have to work on it. :) **

**Mitch 566:**** Yeah, too bad I didn't update right away though. Yeah, this story's gonna be so much fun to write. :D Thank you, hope this chapter is great too.**

**Bethmum1:**** Luckily this story has both. I love exclamation points too; I don't tend to use them in stories too much, but I definitely use them on reviews.**

**Snheeta: ****Thank you. I'll try my best to keep it as exciting as the last one. Glad you're so excited to see Holly again. :) Nope, that sarcastic duck never will. XD Well, they'll always try their best to protect each other and the team. Thanks for the favourite and the review, by the way! **

**NickyRockit:**** Glad I'll get to hear from you from the beginning of this story :D Yup, should be interesting. Thanks for the favourite. **

**Angel of Light 867: ****Yeah, I don't think she'll ever get over it, but I'm not even scared of spiders, and I don't think I ever would either. :D Thank you. Thanks for the favourite too!**

**Antaurilover685: Although you didn't review, I'd like to thank you for the follow! :)**

**Also, I was wondering what you'd guys think if I posted a oneshot about how the team was feeling (more specifically Tech) when Holly was out of it for three days? Like it? Lastly, please review. :D Thanks so much!**

* * *

An annoyed voice woke me up.

**"A duck walks into watch TV and this is what he finds?" **I looked up slightly and glared at the mallard. Sadly, he only winced a little. Maybe Natalya could give me death-glare lessons...

**"Go away Duck," **I told him as Tech started to stir.

**"Whatever," **Duck huffed, and I heard him get into the elevator.

Tech looked at me sleepily. **"Hey," **he said and then yawned; I did too. **"Do you know what time is it?" **I was so warm and cozy in my position, I didn't want to move, but I moved slightly to see my watch.

**"It's already ten-thirty. Looks like we should have breakfast." **I waited for him to move before I did, since it would be hard to until he sat up. We got up, and walked to the kitchen together. I made myself a bowl of cereal, while Tech waited by the toaster for the piece of bread to pop up. After we were done eating, Rev zoomed up to us as we headed to the kitchen doors.

**"Hey-guys-I-was-thinking-we-could-play-dodgeball-again-that-was-really-fun-and-since-we-might-have-the-day-off-today-which-by-the-way-is-awesome-especially-cause-it's-nice-out-hey-we-could-have-a-snow-ball-fight-instead-of-dodgeball-whaddaya-say-to-a-snow-fight-" **Tech, thankfully, shut Rev's beak. It was way too early in the morning for words a mile a minute.

**"I'm done for a snowball fight," **I replied, grinning. Although I wasn't very good at sports, it was still pretty fun, especially if I managed to hit Tech. So far, I hadn't been able to nail him with a dodge ball yet, but I'm sure it'll happen...let's just hope in a few weeks OK? It had been snowing for a while, and when I glanced out of the main-room's huge wall to wall, ceiling to floor window, snow covered every inch that I could see.

**"Okay-I'll-go-get-everyone-else-is-Mary-here-today-or-did-she-go-home?"** Rev asked. I shook my head. Recently, her and Darren had been living in a small flat together, and Mary had gone home to the flat yesterday to help with the wedding plans. **"Maybe-Natalya'll-want-to-play-too!" **I doubted it; she would probably say she was too busy, but he looked so excited and happy I couldn't say anything. He zoomed off, and Tech chuckled lightly.

**"What?" **I said, looking at him.

**"It's just...interesting," **he said, with that amused smile still on his face. I smiled a little, but let the subject drop; if he wanted to tell me, he would, besides, it clearly wasn't something bad.

A few moments later, the elevator doors opened, and the rest of the team, along with Natalya, and Rev, who was talking animatedly to her. Evidently, Duck, Slam, Ace and Lexi (who were holding hands; those two were adorable...I _really _sound like Alyssa Pussycat don't I?) had agreed to the snowball fight.

**"I don't know Rev," **Natalya said slowly, and I was a bit surprised she hadn't said no from the get-go. Maybe she hadn't been able to get a word in.

**"Come on 'cuz, lighten up," **Tech piped up. I smiled, but Natalya glared at him.

**"Don't call me 'cuz'." **Her icy glare faded as she turned back to Rev. **"Rev-"**

**"Come-on-it's-Christmas-besides-if-your-project's-really-that-important-I-could-help-you-do-it-so-it-doesn't-take-too-long!" **Rev said, making his puppy-dog eyes. Natalya looked somewhat taken aback; I doubt anyone had really offered to help her with her job before.

She sighed. **"Alright, I suppose..." **Rev, catching her completely off guard, hugged her. She looked extremely flustered, and seemed to be thoroughly relieved when he released her. She isn't one for close contact, even with Tech.

**"Alright guys," **Ace said and he grinned. **"Get yer jackets an' let's go have a snowball fight!"**

(0)

I really felt like a ninja. Okay, maybe less cool and less skilled and more clumsy than a ninja...oh shut up. Still, I was doing a pretty good job at dodging the snow balls. Duck was the best at throwing by far, since he had so much practice with throwing his eggs, and his quacking ability allowed him to get out of the way easily. Rev was the best at dodging though, since he could move so fast. Ace and Lexi kept only aiming for each other, and it was getting pretty crazy -I tried to stay away from that part of the game; it was like the battlefield of icy cold death, in you know, snowball form.

Slam wasn't very good at dodging, since he was so big, but when he threw a snowball, you better watch out. Learned that pretty early on. Wasn't exactly paying attention, saw this gigantic white thing coming at me, and it knocked me clean off my feet. Slam said sorry, although I wasn't really listening; everybody was too busy laughing, including myself, and I think I even heard Natalya giggle. Cracking that shell!

Speaking of Natalya, she was pretty good at throwing snowballs, in fact, she had great aim, and she was good at ducking and dodging. Tech told me she took self-defense lessons growing up, so that must be why.

Oh Tech...he kept hitting me with snowballs! I dove behind Slam for cover, scooped up snow in each hand, and threw them both at my boyfriend. He dodged the first one, and shot a smug look at me, only for the other snowball to hit him right in the face. Ha! I laughed myself silly.

After everyone was cold and tired, but we still somehow felt exhilarated, we headed inside for a hot chocolate. I could tell Tech felt a little down since I had finally gotten him (and he was always teasing me about how I would _never _hit him; all in good fun of course) so I purposefully took a big gulp of hot chocolate, and sure enough I had a milk mustache. He laughed and I did too.

(0)

I had always admired Slam's art skills. Tech was busy inventing, Rev was sitting with Natalya on the couch and they were working together on her job, Ace and Lexi had gone out for frozen yogurt, meanwhile Slam was painting a picture of the snowy landscape of Acmetropolis from the view he could see out of the window.

I was a pretty good artist myself, but I was better with drawing and shading with painting. Being a full time artist -designing inventions, picture book illustrations, my own artwork in a gallery- was my dream job, so I walked up next to him.

**"Hey Slam," **I said happily. He looked up from his already beautiful, half finished painting. **"Do you think you could -could teach me?"**

He smiled and nodded. **"Okay. Later?"**

**"Sure," **I replied, and grinned. At about one o'clock a few hours later, we went to one of the otherwise empty rooms in the tower. There were many floors, each of us could have had ten to ourselves and there would still be extra floors and rooms. He opened the door, which was the old-fashioned kind with a handle and everything, and in the upper part of the door was an old, rusty plaque reading: _Slam's Art Studio. _ There was a window in there too, and two canvases on art stands, and two stools. Near the back of the small room, was a large bookcase, with jars of every colour of paint you could think of stored on its shelves, some cans of paint stacked on top of each other. On the very top shelf was an odd looking machine, that looked quite old. Next to the bookcase, which had taken up the majority of the wall, were a series of now dried paintings Slam had previously done. I could see the one he had been working on before in the front, but he hadn't finished it. When he left the main room, I figured

I sat down at a stool, thinking we would get started right away, but Slam simply smiled and walked over to the bookcase. He reached for the top shelf, which was high, even for him. He took something thin and shiny which had been propped up against a paint can. He held his hands behind his back. **"Close you eyes," **he told me. Wondering what he was up to, I closed my eyes, and felt something cool and metallic go into my eyes. **"Open." **I did, and I grinned.

In my hands, was a shiny, brand new plaque, saying _Slam & Holly's Art Studio. _I got up and gave _him _a bone-crushing hug.

**"Thanks Slam," **I said, but it came out muffled because my head was pressing into the upper area of his stomach.

**"You welcome," **he said happily. **"You use room a-any-anytime." **I let go, beaming at him. **"Start painting?" **I nodded.

(0)

Even though Christmas was right around the corner, it appeared that evil wasn't taking a holiday yet, because two days after Slam showed me his -our, art studio, the Loonatics had to leave for a mission that morning. Normally, I would go with them, but I still had to unpack (stupid procrastination) and mostly I didn't feel like going out in the cold. Besides, it's not like I was alone. Natalya had stayed behind to catch up on work.

The wolf had stayed in her room for most of the day, and I assumed that's where she was now. I was in the middle of practicing some of the brush strokes Slam had taught me the other day in the art studio. Yeah, unpacking was going really well (sarcasm, if you didn't pick up on that.)

I dipped my brush into the paint can, but the brush didn't have as much of the blue paint I wanted. I peered into the can; it was almost empty. I took the can and put it off to the empty can side of the bookcase. Then I headed down the elevator to the bedroom floor, because the Tasmanian Devil had told me there was always extra paint in the hallway closet.

I found that Natalya was in the closet as well, because the door was ajar and I could see her tail. It was dark inside the closet, from what I could see so there mustn't have been a light switch.

**"What are you looking for?" **I asked. She jumped slightly and turned around. She stepped back slightly and I stepped into the closet. The door closed naturally behind me.

**"Batteries for a device for work," **she replied. **"You?" **I was a little surprised, since she usually didn't inquire things like that from me.

**"Another can of paint." **I squinted in the darkness for a moment before my eyes adjusted, and I searched for the paint I was looking for. I grabbed me, and saw Natalya's hand close around the doorknob; she had clearly found what she was looking for.

I continued to search, and expected to hear the door open, her exiting, and the door closing again, but I didn't. I kept hearing the doorknob being turned, but no click. **"What's wrong?" **I turned around and looked at her curiously. She jiggled the handle.

**"It won't open."**

Panic filled me. **"What do you mean it won't open?!"**

**"It won't open!" **She stood aside as I tried (and failed) to open the door. **"And I really have to go to the bathroom," **she sighed. I looked at her.

**"There's an empty bucket, and I swear I won't look," **I said, managing to keep my face straight.

She glared at me. **"Haha." **She sank down and sat on an overturned bucket. **"I guess we'll just have to wait until the Loonatics come back. What do you want to do?"**

**"Talk?" **I suggested. She stared at me. **"We got some time, what else?"**

She sighed again. **"Fine."**


	3. Chapter Three

**"So..." **My voice echoed in the dark, tiny closet. My bum was sore from sitting on a mop bucket - man was that thing uncomfortable. **"What are you doing in your work?" **I gave Natalya a nervous sort of smile.

**"That's classified," **she said curtly. My heart sank lower; this wasn't going to be easy, was it?

**"Do you have any siblings?"**

**"No."**

**"Oh." **Another dead end. **"I have two really girly sisters," **I added. **"One's two years older, the other is three." **A long, awkward silence ensued as the gray wolf didn't speak and I racked my brain for something to say. Natalya worked for the government, no siblings, she was good friends with my cousin Lacey... Cousin! **"Do you have any funny stories of when Tech was a kid?"**

It was dark, so it was hard to tell, but I think Natalya might have smiled. **"A lot of them. Do you want to hear the dancing story?"**

I was so relieved she was willing to talk to me about something, I didn't care if she told me the same story five times. **"Sure." **Dancing; this should be good.

**"Well, I'm a year older than Tech, and when I was ten I wanted to do dancing - ballet, more specifically. And since Tech was so shy, he got put in ballet with me." **I laughed. Tech in a tutu. Now _that _was something I would pay a million bucks to see. **"And he was _really _clumsy, so at the recital he started spinning, and he accidentally spun too much and fell off the stage!" **

I laughed harder, and Natalya even giggled. I had thought it was impossible for her to do something as girly and carefree as giggling. **"You should hear the time my sister Hilary gave my sister Heather a makeover." **I launched into the story of how Hilary had stolen my mom's makeup case and ruined Heather's fur for a week. Heather had been horrified and had hidden in her room; not before I had managed to snap a few pictures on a camera, luckily. We laughed together.

We kept sharing trivial childhood stories, and slowly Natalya became less and less serious. It was still there though - the fact she didn't laugh quite as much as I did, or the way she drummed her fingers impatiently on the bucket she was sitting on, waiting for the time she could get out of the closet and get back to work. Or go pee.

Then there was a knock at the door. **"Holly?" **Mary asked. I could see her perplexed face in my head.

**"Natalya and I got locked in," **I told her. The door opened, light flooding the small room. Mary was there with a smile on her face.

**"Only you could do this," **she said fondly, shaking her head. I pouted.

Natalya pushed past me quickly, muttering a quiet, **"Thank you," **to Mary and then heading down the hallway. Mary stared after the wolf, her black hair in a braid today.

**"Natalya had to go to the bathroom," **I supplied. Mary's mouth made a small O shape in understanding. **"Not that it isn't great to see you, but why are you here Mars?" **She smiled at her nickname that only I ever used.

**"I had to get away from my mom," **she explained. **"We were picking out colour schemes for the wedding, and it didn't go too well. Sometimes I wish your mom could adopt me, she's so cool."**

I blinked and then shook my head. **"You've never seen her when she's nervous, and a wedding definitely falls into the nervous category. She swears up a storm and talks about all your most embarrassing moments until you just want to sink into the floor and disappear." **We laughed.

**"Maybe not then," **Mary giggled.

The intercom crackled to life. "_Ace Bunny, Lexi Bunny, Tech E. Coyote, Danger Duck, Rev Runner and Slam Tasmanian are now entering HQ."  
_

**"So, is Darren involved with any of the planning?" **I said, as we stepped into the elevator. Luckily, since there were now more people in the building, Tech had installed two elevators. Not only was it handy, it also meant that the Mastermind-Sypher fiasco wouldn't happen again, and that was good, because I didn't really enjoy being shot at with a laser gun.

**"Not really," **Mary replied, although she flushed at the mention of her fiancé. **"He's really focused on his historical fiction book. He's finally picked a title, and he spent all of yesterday rambling about it to me. I love that dorky goof."**

**"What did he choose?" **The elevator began to take us down to the main room floor, the 125th.

**"Storming Giants." **The elevator doors opened. **"Pretty cool eh?"**

**"Very," **I agreed as we stepped out. The Loonatics were already sitting down and resting. It was clear everyone was tired; Rev was moving a little slower than usual. **"Tough villain?" **

**"Acidus," **Lexi said, rubbing her arm and wincing at the touch. **"He can shoot acid out of his hands and make acid minions. Unfortunately, he got away." **

**"I gotta go see if I can track him," **Tech said, and although he had tired eyes, he gave me a smalls smile as he headed to the lab. I looked at Mary and she nodded at the my unasked question. I went to the lab as well to find Tech slumped in his chair, typing quickly into a keyboard, many different scenes showing up on the multiple computer screens.

**"You alright?" **I leaned on the chair, resting my chin on the top of his head.

**"The suit took the real damage." **He lifted his right arm to show a rip in the armour. **"It's probably best you didn't come today."**

**"Probably,"** I agreed. **"Thank goodness you're all okay." **I kissed the top of his head, gratefulness surging through me. **"Was Acidus scary?" **A lot of villains were scary. Even after a good three months, I could still picture Arachnin perfectly in my head.

**"Not for a brave, heroic coyote like me," **he joked. I chuckled. **"So after I get this tracking stuff ready to go, wanna do something together?" **I nodded. It had been a while since we had managed to do something, just the two of us.

**"The library?" **I suggested. He looked upwards at me and smiled and kissed me quickly on the lips, leaving them tingly as he pulled away.

**"Are you sure you weren't affected by the meteor, 'cause you are _excellent _at reading minds." **I laughed.

(O)

I idly turned the last page of my book, _The Fault in Our Stars _by John Green and felt my eyes mist over at the ending. As always, no matter how many times I read it. I wiped the tears away. **"Good ending?" **Tech looked up from _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. __  
_

**"You haven't read this?" **I said, surprised. It was a _really _good book. My boyfriend shook his head. **"Make sure to add it to your list." **Both of us had book lists of which to read next. Tech had decided to reread the Harry Potter series, while I pursued new books. _13 Reasons Why_ by Jay Asherwas the next one.

We were sprawled among countless books in my grandmother's (now deceased) old library. When she was the owner, my mom, Uncle Tyler and Aunt Angelina lived here, but had all moved out. Uncle Tyler and Aunt Angelina now own it and are the only reason it hasn't been torn down - thank God - but can't bring themselves to refurbish it. I would always come here during high school and college whenever I was having a bad day.

**"I came here you know." **I looked up at Tech, surprised. **"When you were unconscious, after WeatherVane hit you with lightning. It helped. A lot." **He met my gaze for a moment and then looked down at his book. Touched, I remembered what I had said to him when I first showed him the dusty old library. _So if you're having a bad day, you have somewhere to go away from your teammates too. I know you love them, but there must be some days when you just want to be by yourself right? _

This was also where I had asked Tech out on a date. I reached for his hand and squeezed it. **"Then I did my job," **I told him, smiling. He gave me a small smile. Suddenly my cell phone pinged. I took it out of my pocket, confused. Who would be calling me? Normally my family just emailed me, and Mary was at HQ, so if something had happened the Loonatics would just call Tech.

I groaned when I checked caller ID. It was stupid wavy-haired Brad Hale. Tech gave me a questioning look. I held up my cell phone to let him read it. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. **"Who's Brad Hale?"**

**"A jerky guy in my Media Arts class," **I answered. **"He asked me out the other day, my last one at school, but obviously I turned him down and said that I had a boyfriend. I am wondering how he got my number though."**

**"I can block him for you so his voice messages and texts get automatically deleted," **Tech offered. There was a slightly angry edge to his voice, and it filled me with warmth. It was cute to see him a little jealous.

**"Thanks Tech." **I passed the phone over, and after a few minutes of button-pressing on his behalf, Tech handed it back. **"Excellent." **I checked the time. It was almost six. **"We should head back for dinner." **I grabbed a previously-taken copy of _13 Reasons Why _from the dusty information desk and we headed out onto the cold street. I pulled my coat tighter around me. I put the book in my large coat pockets.

**"Here." **Tech wrapped an arm around me, and half-pressing me into his warm side. I smiled up at him, snow softly falling and gathering on the tops of buildings and streets and the few trees that were around the area.

**"Thanks." **I pecked him on the cheek, feeling much warmer, the my white-furred cheeks turning slightly pink. I took one arm and pulled the hood of my coat over my vibrant and messy red hair. **"Who's cooking tonight, anyway?"**

**"Duck, I think," **Tech replied. **"Which means he'll be ordering pizza for us."**

**"At least he doesn't make us pay for it," **I said, grinning widely.

Tech laughed. **"Funny you should say that. Early in the beginning, when the team was just forming, he tried to make us pay. We all yelled at him so much - I doubt he would ever try again." **He paused for a moment. **"Do you think Mary'll stay?"**

**"Maybe. Her mother's been driving her crazy lately, but she might just go back to her and Darren's flat and eat there. I'll ask her. Oh, you know what happened today? Natalya and I got stuck in the closet in one of the hallways."**

Tech burst out laughing. **"I would've paid to see the conversation you two had."**

I raised my eyebrows. **"Hmm, really? So, you did ballet eh?" **He immediately sobered up and I laughed loudly.

(0)

Mary didn't stay for dinner and indeed went to the flat she shared with Darren, which was fine with me. Who wouldn't want to spend time with their fiancé? She asked me to save her a couple of slices, and I told her I would. It was hard to rescue any of the pizza slices though - sometimes I just had to marvel at how much Slam could eat.

Both Tech and Natalya were dragged out of their respective work by Rev. I expected Natalya to at least argue with Rev more than she did with Tech, but she didn't say a word otherwise to him once she was at the table, and even joined in on two of the conversations - both started by Rev. It seemed she had a bit of a soft spot for him. Interesting...

After dinner, Slam and I went to our art studio and he showed me the latest painting he had been working on, which was half-finished. It depicted Acmetropolis, full of glittering snow, and was absolutely beautiful. I told him so and he gave me a big, bone-crushing hug.

It was movie night in the tower, and it was hard to decide between _Vendetta of Victory _or _Twilight: New Moon _(Duck's choice). Actually, it wasn't hard to choose, but Duck defended the latter until _Vendetta of Victory _started and he quieted down. Or Slam shoved popcorn in his mouth, whichever came first. The movie was pretty violent, so Lexi and I both turned into our boyfriend's when it got really bad. Although she did it quite often for someone who battles villains every day - maybe it was just an excuse for her to cuddle with Ace._  
_

I assure you, that wasn't why I turned into Tech _at all. _(Sarcasm, if you didn't pick up on that).

The movie was pretty good - somehow Duck fell asleep, so Slam carried the mallard to his Misty-Breeze decorated bedroom. I kissed Tech one last time and said goodnight to everyone else as well before heading to bed.

Yes, it's definitely good to be back with the Loonatics.

* * *

**A/N: ...**

**Hey guys, *winces* so, uh, what's up? *cringes at the last date of update* SorrysorrysorrysorrySORRYSOSOMUCH! Forgive me because of TechHolly fluff? No? *hides***

**Anyway, again, sorry for the late update. Also, in terms of Snheeta's question in "The Challenge: Loonatic Showdown" (go check out the series if you haven't read it!) I am open to all suggestions for any of my stories. If there are any villains you have come up with, or particularly like, or scenarios or fluff you'd like to see with this story (or "The Shadow Chronicles: Forgotten" or "A Bumpy Process") throw them at me! I love suggestions, and I always want to improve with my writing, so yeah! Make suggestions galore, if ya want!**

**I hoped you liked Natalya and Holly's convo in the closet. Although it wasn't very deep, this is going to be a slow process. Natalya doesn't trust easily, so it'll take time for her to open up. I got a whole backstory set up, that you will eventually find out (well most of it, anyway) and her relationship with Rev is also going to take time to develop.**

**So, I love you guys (again - so sorry!) and please review.**


	4. Chapter Four

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

I fell out of bed with a yelp, startled. Grumbling (**"Stupid, stupid alarm,"**) I picked myself up, sitting on the side of my bed in my smiley-face pajamas and hit the off button on my alarm clock none too gently. Normally my alarm wouldn't have thrown me off like that, but in the few days with the Loonatics where I didn't need an alarm for once, I had gotten used to it. Also, my alarm was set later in the day than my old school one, and I knew I needed to get up.

Today, I was going on the most important mission of my life with Lexi and Mary. Something we could possibly not survive: Shopping for our boyfriends (in the mouse's case, a fiance).

I strolled out of my room after pulling on a warm green sweater and winter coat to find Lexi already waiting for me, dressed in her pale blue coat and black boots. **"Ready to go?" **she asked me with a smile. Mary was meeting us at the mall.**  
**

I gave her a big smile. **"Yeah." **We stepped into the elevator which quickly took us down to the sidewalk. Snow was everywhere - on the road, buildings, benches, cars and trees. Kids were running around and throwing snowballs at each other in the streets, so it must have been a snow day.

**"Funny," **Lexi said thoughtfully. **"This part of Acmetropolis doesn't usually get this much snow. Not that I'm complaining or anything - although winter coats do make me chubbo."**

I snorted. **"Ridiculous. You're the fittest person I know."** The last thing the bunny needed to worry about was her weight.** "So, do you have any ideas on what you're getting Ace for Christmas?" **It was the first day of December, but I was glad we were starting early - what do you get for the guy who can build anything?

Lexi frowned and shook her head. **"No. Most of the time I'm happy he's such a content person, but it's really coming back to bite me in the cotton tail. Has Mary bought Darren something yet?"**

**"Yeah, a large history book. Darren's crazy about that stuff. She's just coming along for moral support." **Mary was lucky her guy was easy to buy for.

After a fairly quick walk, we just had a few more blocks to go before we would get to the mall. Thankfully, nobody had recognized Lexi yet so we weren't stopped by people wanting her autographs. When I commented on this, she said, **"You're famous too; people will want your autograph."**

I blinked, taken aback. Obviously, some part of me had acknowledged that people knew who I was - people at school, like Brad Hale was an example - but it was hard to accept that my name would be in the papers. I hadn't wanted to be famous because of the whole Arachnin fiasco - I wanted to be famous for my art. However, I knew that articles would pop up with my name in them, since I was dating a Loonatic.

**"I guess you're right," **I said at last, fiddling with the silver, medium sized, heart-shaped Tech had given me when I had to leave the Loonatics at the end of the competition. Uneasiness sloshed around in my stomach.

**"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," **Lexi said hastily, placing a hand on my shoulder and looking at me with concerned eyes. I half-smiled at her.

I tried to reassure her.** "No - no, it's alright, don't worry about it." **I fully smiled at her, and it seemed to convince her that she hadn't offended me somehow. She let out a sigh of relief.

**"Good. Good." **I gave her a confused look; she seemed _way _too relieved about something so small.

I stuck out an arm to stop her from walking further, then placing both of my hands on her shoulders. **"Most people wouldn't be so concerned about something so small - what's up Lexi?"**

She sighed, staring at her black boots for a while before her green eyes met my own. **"In high school, some girls got offended really easily. . . And when I accidentally offended them, they didn't forgive me - made my life a living hell." **Her eyes were sad, and her bottom lip quivered, meaning if I pressed her for more details, she would start to cry - and I knew she _hated _crying in public. Bet those girls had something to do with that too.

**"I'm sorry that happened to you; I got bullied too. But I had Mary, and one friend is really all you need, if they stay by you." **I was grateful bitterness hadn't crept into my voice. I had had a best friend before Mary, but that hadn't turned out well. I managed to smile at the female bunny. **"That's the best part about having really good friends - you can say the weirdest, most stupid and mean stuff at them, but if the friendship means something to them, they'll always forgive you. You're my _friend_; don't worry."**

Lexi smiled at me, wiping her eyes with her coat sleeve. **"Thanks."**

I grinned at her. **"Anytime." **And I fully meant it.

We continued on our way to the Acmemall, talking about whatever came into our heads. Lexi had recently finished the first book in the _Storm Trilogy, Lightning _by Gabrielle E. Coyote, Tech's aunt, and we had a fun time discussing that. (**"Sam and Hazel are such great characters, right?" "I cried so much when Hazel died!"**)

Then, right when we had gotten to the entrance to the mall, a shrill voice rang out, **"Oh my God! Lexi? Holly?" **We both groaned as the sound of footsteps got louder, and Alyssa Pussycat popped up beside us.

As her name suggested, she was a white-furred cat anthro with glossy hair that was just the right shade of brown. I caught sight of my reflection in a mall window - my frizzy red hair was a rat-nest, hastily pulled into a messy ponytail. Great.

At one point during the _LivingWithTheLoonatics _contest, she had gotten kidnapped by a creepy skunk guy named Pierre La Pew. After we rescued her, she proceeded to check out both of our boyfriends. And she used to bully me as well. Although she was the one who led me to befriending Mary in grade nine - still, it didn't excuse her bratty behavior.

She flashed us a dazzling smile. **"Funny running into you here - I never knew you were a shopping person Holly, with your clothes and all." **She giggled, as if that veiled the insult she had just shot at me.

**"I'm actually not a shopping person," **I told her, feigning politeness but there was a definite bitter edge to my words. **"Both of us are shopping for our boyfriends - I'm not surprised you didn't come to that conclusion, with your brains and all, Alyssa." **She blinked, processing my words, and then frowned at me. Lexi was stifling a smile.

**"Well, I have to be going - lots of places to be and people to meet, life of being popular you know - or I guess _you _don't." **Alyssa smiled at me, her eyes with a mean glint shimmering in them.

**"Funny, funny," **I said, still with a polite tone, moving closer to her, my eyes hardening. **"Because last time I checked, _you_ didn't get mentioned in newspapers or magazines." **

She gave me a full out glare, and I realized I had one-up-ed her. I mumbled, **"C'mon," **to Lexi and we turned to leave. Then I heard Alyssa mutter, **"You're only in there because you were lucky that Arachnin chose you."**

I whirled around, blood pounding my head, a lump in my throat, and anger boiling up inside of me. Lexi was giving the cat anthro a fierce look too, her green eyes flashing, but I barely noticed. **"Lucky?! LUCKY? You honestly think I _wanted _to get kidnapped?!"** I roared, towering over her petite figure. In high school, I had been jealous of her shorter height - that instantly made her cute in the eyes of boys, but now, I knew it just made me more intimidating. She cowered slightly. **"My family was kidnapped for my life for ransom! Do you want that?! DO YOU THINK I ASKED FOR THAT?! DO YOU KNOW _ANYTHING_?!"**

Alyssa made a pathetic, squeaking sound. Apparently, her voice wouldn't work.

Satisfaction mingled with my rage. **"Apparently not," **I said coldly, sure I looked murderous. **"Why don't you leave." **It wasn't a suggestion, and she knew it. Still looking scared, she walked away.

After a long silence, Lexi asked, **"Are you okay?" **She put her hand on my shoulder.

Her question startled me, and I reeled in my emotions, but my tone was still angry when I said, **"I'm fine." **I wasn't sure if I was telling the truth or not, and shrugged off her hand, heading into the mall in front of us.

(0)

We spotted Mary easily. She was over by the ice cream place near the main plaza of the huge mall, waving to us with one hand, and holding a pink smoothie she was drinking with the other. **"Hey guys," **she greeted, giving both of us smiles and a quick hug. **"Are you going to get something?" **She slurped her smoothie some more.

After a few minutes, Lexi and I both had a shake in our hands - a strawberry smoothie in hers, a chocolate milkshake in mine. **"So, what's up?" **I said. Her black hair was pulled into a short braid today.

She smiled at me. **"It was kind of tricky to find a history book he didn't already have, but luckily I found one he'll love. Already wrapped up and everything."**

Lexi stopped drinking her smoothie for a second. **"I really envy you right now." **I laughed and Mary smiled. **"Most of the time, I'm happy Ace is an easily content person, but he is impossible to buy for."**

**"You're lucky," **I retorted. **"At least he'll pretty much like whatever you get for him. What do you get the guy who can build anything?"**

Mary thought about it for a moment. **"Well," **she said slowly. **"Is there anything they really love, something special?"**

Lexi blinked.** "Well, yeah. He really loves this TV show, called **_Curse of Hercules_**. I love it too. I suppose I could get him some of the merchandise, it's just so hard to find some that isn't sold out."**

**"Well that's easily fixable," **I said. **"Just put something on hold, you're a Loonatic. Or order it online. You can find _anything _on the internet. As for Tech, I can't think of anything. . ." **A thought entered my head, and I smiled slowly. **"But he does love historical fiction, and has almost every book out there already, but do you think Darren -"**

**" - would be willing to give you a copy of Storming Giants?" **Mary finished, grinning. **"I'll try to get you a copy, but let's face it - he can't resist my big sad puppy-dog eyes." **She did the look, and even I - who had years of building up willpower to it - felt a little compelled to give her whatever she asked for. Mary chuckled.

Since that was settled, the three of us scoured the stores, looking for something to do with _Curse of Hercules_. Like Lexi had said, it wasn't easy. Lots of places were sold out, and we must gone to at least fifteen stores in almost three hours. Of course, we probably would've moved faster if we hadn't stopped by some clothing stores to try tops and pants on, but still, it was a lot of work. (The only compensation was the sweet, pale gray sweater I had scored.)

Finally, we got to the last store on the second level of the mall, feet aching and arms weighed down by our purchases, and it seemed like a ray from heaven was shining down on us. There, in the video store, was a large _Curse of Hercules _display - video games, DVDs of the seasons, posters, whatever you could think of, it was there. From the slices of the store you could see behind the display, it appeared the store was as full of _Curse of Hercules _merchandise as the display.

We quickly entered the shop, which was surprisingly crowded with young men and women, obviously avid fans of the show. The store manager - or at least I assumed so - seemed to drowning among all the people clustered around him. We fought our way to the front.

**"Excuse me, excuse me," **the manager said, trying to raise his voice over the crowd. Beads of sweat trickling down the side of his face. His bushy mustache bristled. **"I'm sorry, but more shipments of the Douglas Wilson poster will only be coming next week - now move out!" **The grumbling and disappointed people grouped around him parted, milling to other parts of the store.

**"Sorry 'bout that," **the manager told us. He was a stout man, so even though we were anthros (who were typically much shorter than humans) he had to look up at us to see us. **"The season seven finale has them going crazy. What can I help you with?"**

**"I'm looking for something for my boyfriend," **Lexi explained, brushing her bangs out of her left eye for a moment. **"He's a big fan."**

The manager smiled. **"Well, we have plenty of merchandise to choose from. Looking for anything in particular ma'am?" **

**"Something rare, or special," **Lexi told him. He clasped his hands together.

**"Give me a moment miss," **he said, and then waddled over to the counter and bent down so we couldn't see him. There was some grunting, and he came back into view, hoisting a cardboard box onto the counter-top. He opened it up, and staring out at us were tiny little action figures securely trapped in shiny plastic boxes with bright red backgrounds of cardboard. Shiny black writing was scrawled across the plastic boxes. **"Figurines of Sonya Cogan, signed by the actor Miss Debra Williams herself." **

Lexi gasped, her lips curving into a smile. **"These are perfect." **She looked at the other fans at the store over her shoulder. **"Why aren't the other fans trying to get some?"**

**"Most probably already have them - these people are the absolute loony fans of the show; got these babies a minute after they went online. However, I doubt your boyfriend has time to wait around like that, eh Miss Bunny?" **He grinned at her.

Lexi didn't seem surprised he had recognized her. In fact, she seemed rather pleased, and smiled brightly. **"No, he doesn't. May I get two of these?"**

**"Of course." **His mustache curved upwards when he smiled at her.

(0)

When we left the mall, it was still snowing pretty thickly. Lexi clutched the bag with the two figurines safely stowed inside to her chest, determined to keep snow from getting inside.

**"You sure you don't want to come to HQ with us?" **Lexi asked as Mary leaned up against her blue punch-buggy. The mouse anthro shook her head.

**"No. My mom's expecting me at home for more wedding planning."** Mary frowned slightly, but then smiled again.** "Are you sure you don't just want a ride home?" **she joked, and all three of us laughed. **"G'bye guys." **

**"Bye!" **Lexi and I said together. We waved as Mary pulled out of street and trundled down it, her car quickly disappearing into the streets.

On the way back, I felt like someone was staring at me, so stopped walking. I looked around and found Lexi gazing at me intently. **"Something wrong?" **I said, my good mood slowly dissipating.

The female bunny stopped walking as well and pursed her lips.** "You sure you're okay?" **

**"About what?" **I refused to meet her eyes.

**"You know what."**

I sighed, thinking about my fight with Alyssa. **"I'm fine. Really." **

**"Then how come I don't believe you?"**

I sighed again, closing my eyes briefly. **"Alyssa struck a nerve, alright?" **It came out harsher than I meant it to, and I felt bad when hurt flashed across her face. **"Sorry. . . It's just hard you know? I didn't want it to happen, I would've been fine if it didn't - and then she thinks the opposite, thinks that I _wanted_ my family to go through that pain - that _I _wanted to go through that pain, and she couldn't be more wrong. . ." **I managed to meet her concerned eyes. **"I still get nightmares. Less often now, but still pretty regular. I doubt the nightmares will ever go away fully, but. . . I can live with carrying it around with me." **I almost smiled. **"I'm as okay as I'll ever be right now."**

Lexi smiled softly, surprising me with a tight hug, but I hugged her back just as tightly. **"Okay," **she said gently, and I smiled at her when we broke apart. **"I believe you."**

**"Now let's get home before Slam drinks all the hot chocolate in the tower," **I said jokingly, winking at her, and she laughed.

**"Some hot chocolate sounds good," **she agreed, and we started heading down the snowy streets again.

* * *

_A/N: Here's a nice chapter, fill of friendshipy and hurt/comfort goodness. Hopes you enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I might be a little late on the next update, seeing as the next three days will be completely busy with real life stuff. Fortunately, this chapter was over my usual word count, so yay!_

_Those of you who read _A Bumpy Process _will recognize the TV show "Curse of Hercules" which is something both Ace and Lexi are fans of. TV show/characters/actor names belong to me. Alyssa Pussycat, Holly Fox, Darren and Mary Wishbone all belong to me. "Storming Giants" and "The Storm Trilogy" all belong to me as well._

_Natalya E. Wolf belongs to Balto#1. _

foxchick1: _Glad you think so; thanks for the review. :)_

NickyRockit: _I always love to make people laugh; glad I did. I'm not so sure about that - I've seen that picture on the DA.(Which all you lovely people can see here by copying the link: art/It-is-Halloween-102241420) Thank you; sorry I made you wait, although by my standards in updating, this is actually quite good._

BALTO1: _*winces* Glad you forgive me - life gets in the way of writing far too often. Pesky life. Thank you. Giggling? I feel very proud of myself for that. :) Fluff is what I love to write. I'll try, trust me. I'm actually reading that lovely story by the way (which even more of you lovely people can read here: s/9125333/1/Through-Thick-and-Thin) Snheeta is a great writer. Howl at the moon! :)_

Snheeta: _*hugs you back and pats you on the back* Why thank you! Very awkward, very sweet, and a very important part of their relationship's development. Poor Tech - I can just picture Holly teasing him (in a nice way of course) about it. Mary really is a good friend, and Lexi is one too, as you can see in this chapter. I'm not sure if you'll see Darren; probably at one point. Who doesn't love seeing a jealous Tech? I'm glad you think so. Are you sure you can't read minds? XD Thank you for your wonderful suggestions (I had already planned to have Alyssa, you mind reader you!) but I might use another one. *cough*numbertwo*cough. _

_Thanks for all the reviews guys!_


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